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My squishy answer

Originally Posted by samuelholder

if you were to make a list of the top commentaries...which ones would be on there?

When I used to work in Christian bookstores, and was asked to recommend a commentary, I'd answer "For what?" Then generally I'd recommend a few, and suggest that the person pick a favorite passage, or a difficult passage, and look it up in all of them. See which writer "scratched" where he "itched."

So for instance, take Proverbs, a long-favorite of mine, and the book whence came my Master's thesis. For a good general read, I'd recommend Kidner in the TOTC series. Obviously a great depth of scholarship, and yet a wonderful writer and communicator as well (though too squishy on the authorship of 1—9 ). For preaching (not exegesis), Charles Bridges is hard to beat; his footnotes alone are worth the price of the book. For dealing with the Hebrew, it's hard to recommend anything. Toy will do it, but he's theologically nuts. McKane, ditto. Delitzsch will deal with the Hebrew, and is worth the read, though he's very dated. Murphy is more up to date, but theologically tone-deaf at best.

free commentaries

I value the three volume set on the minor prophets, edited by Thomas Edward McComiskey, and published by Baker Book House. Otherwise, I have limited exposure to modern commentaries, but the exposure I have causes me to step aside.

I have read extensively in the 10 volume Keil and Delitzch Commentary on the Old Testament. I have also read a lot in the 14 volume Barnes' Notes on the Entire Bible. I preferred Carl Keil's commentary on Genesis to the the commentary by James P. Murphy, contained in Barnes' Notes.

I have never seen Matthew Henry's Commentary described as "emotional," but rather as "devotional." I have never gravitated toward it myself, but so many people I know value it that I do look at it from time to time and even formulated a plan to read the set in a four year period. That plan has been set aside for now.

Both Keil and Delitzch and Barnes' Notes on the Entire Bible are available for free download from www.e-sword.net. You will have to install the free e-sword Bible program before these and several other free commenatries can be accessed.

Ok so my "emotional" comment was about as clear as mud I guess. :-D
<explanation> Some commentaries appear to be completely devoid of any emotion or relationship to Christ from them as they are mostly if not completely academic. Matthew Henry however was not ashamed to let his Love for Jesus bleed through his commentary - something I've come to appreciate. </explanation>

As for a favorite "one volume" commentary. I really enjoyed C.E.B. Cranfields International Critical Commentary on Romans.Volume oneVolume two

Annotated Bibliographies

As several have mentioned, picking commentaries is a matter of taste. Your theology, educational background, etc. are all involved in choosing reference works.

A couple of books I have found helpful are books about books:

James Rosscup of Masters Theological Seminary put out a book called Commentaries for Biblical Expositors. This book rates the commentaries in three categories: Detailed Exegetical, Expositional Survey, and Devotional Flavor. It also includes a paragraph about each volume. Of course, this is one man's opinion about each book, but you might find it helpful.

Another is Tools for Teaching and Preaching the Bible, by one of my professors at my alma mater, Dr. Stewart Custer of Bob Jones University. It is of course coming from a fundamentalist perspective, but you might still find it helpful. Custer has comments on books broken down into categories like Books on Bible Study, Bible Concordances, Bible Atlases, Biblical Geography, Books on Theology, and Recommended Commentaries among many other categories. I have an older edition, it has been updated in the last few years.

There are probably similar tools available, you might ask your professors if they know of such books, or check out the library at your school and see if they have either of the ones I mentioned. If not, they probably can get them for you on an inter-library loan.

Hope that helps!

Maranatha!Don JohnsonPastoraaaaaGrace Baptist Church of VictoriaaaaaaVictoria, BCJeremiah 33.3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

word biblical commentary?

Does anyone know something about the Word Biblical Commentary serie?

I have been planning to buy the whole serie in an electronic format.
What are your opinninons? Is this a good critical commentary serie for exegesis? I would like to have a commentary on every book in the bible, and I cannot buy a book from different serie for each book.

I recommend Expositors Bbiel Commentary

G'day mate
I think the Expositors Bible Commentary version 5 is a good whole bible commentary. If you are looking for a conservative commentary, this one is a good one. I do not endorse all of it, and do not find the Dispensational authors helpful where they teach this interpretation, but most volumes are terrific.

The Word Biblical Commentary series is good, but only loosely evangelical in some volumes.